Finnish Leader Says Russia Is Preparing For 'Long Conflict With The West'

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Russia was preparing for a "long conflict with the West" and he asked for more spending and coordination on European defense. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on March 13 that Finland and Sweden's entry into NATO was "a meaningless step" and that Russia will deploy troops and "systems of destruction" to the Finnish border. Orpo told the European Parliament on March 13: "Russia...represents a permanent and essential military threat to Europe," he said. "If we, as a united Europe, fail to respond sufficiently to this challenge, the coming years will be filled with danger and the looming threat of attack."